Improved knife-cleaner



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i tinnipl gaat A. c. KAISER, Aor VIENNA, MISSOURI.

Letters Patent No. 84,552, dated December 1, 1868.

IMPROVED KNIFE-CLEANER.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and mal-:ing part of the same.

, is a full and cl lar description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention has for its object the construction of a machine A'for cleaning a number of table-knives at one and the same time.

Brieiiy, the machine consists of a reciprocating bedplate, to which the handles of the knives are secured, and which is actaated by a crank, so as to throw the blades of the knivesforward and backward, a-t each revolution of the machine, between'a set of eushiomal rollers revolving at the same time, and coated with brick-dust or other scouring-substance. To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my improved machine, 1 will proceed to describe its construction and operation.

Figure 1, of the drawings, is a sectional elevation of the improved machine, and

Figure 2 is a plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a front elevation.

The frame A may be made in any desired form of construction, suitable for sustaining the operative parts of the machine.

On the top edge of this frame, ways or tracks a. will be provided, on which the bed-plate. B will slide back and forth.

This bed-plate is operated ii'om the driving shaft C by means of the, crank G and the connecting-rod 0"'.

The driving-shaft is operated by manual power, by turningthe crank C", or by other suitable mea-ns.

The pillar-blocks A, which furnish bearings for the driving-shaft, are secured to the frame A by means of the bolts c, two or more sets of holes, a?, being provided in the. frame for the reception ofthe said assembling-bolts a?, in order that the said driving-shaft may be adjusted to a position more or less removed from the rubbing-rollers D at the other end of the frame7 in order-to accommodate knives with different lengths of blades.

The rubber-rollers D have their bearings in the pillar-blocks A2, at the ii'ont end of the frame A, the bearings of the lower roller being fixed, as to vertical position,` while those, of the upper roller are made to yield in a v vertical direction by means of rubber or spiral springs placed above them, in order to hold them down to the lower roller, and at the same time allow the upper roller to rise, in order to accommodate a blade thicker than usual between the rollers.

One of the rollers D has a pulley, d, on the outer end of its axle, which pulley is driven by the belt D?, from the spur-wheel G, on the cuter end ofthe crank.

The two cog-wheels d', on the other ends of the said rollers, connnnnicate motion from the driven roller to theother. i

Theperipheries of the rollers D' are to be covered or cushioned with some textile fabric, as shown in the sectional detail of those rollers.

As is shown in the said detail, onel end of this covering-piece d2 may be inserted and secured ina longitudinal groove in the periphery of the roller, the other -end of the said piece being allowed to go loose, which arrangement will be beneticial in this, that, as the roller is turned, at every revolution of it, the loose end will drop down into the box A3, which contains the sand, brick-dust, or other scouring-material used,

and which said box is placed directly below the rollers.

In this manner the rollers will be coated continually with the scouring-material.

Sockets b, to the number of one dozen, more or less, will be constructed in the front end ofthe bed-plate B, each socket being of the proper size and contour to readily seize and hold the handle of an ordil'iary table-knife.

When ready for use, as many knives as the bedplate will accommodate, or as man y as are to be cleaned, will be placed with their handles in the sockets 11, and their blades projecting tbrward, and secured by means of the binder B' in this position.

The' bimler-piwel is hinged to the bed-plate by one of its ends, and the other is fastened down by abutton or hook when the knives are in place.

The knives being secured in this positiomthe crank C will be turned, and the machine thereby set in motion, and the bed-plate will be operated back and forth, carrying the knives with it, and alternately thrusting the blades between the revolving rollers D and withdrawing them therefrom, and in this lnanner the knives will be quickly and thoroughly cleaned.

ln addition to the provision above described for altering or regulating the position of the drivingshai't by means of its adjustable pillar-blocks, the relative position of the bed-plate will be further adjustable bymeans of one or more sets of holes b in the draw-head Bi', for the reception of the coupling-pin b" that attaches the connecting-rod to the said draw-head.

The binder-piece B has its bottom face covered with a cushion, b, of India rubber, or some equally yielding and elastic material, so that when pressed down upon the handles of the knives they will be Securely held in their sockets b thereby, without the possibility of injuring the most delicate handles. y

This arrangement of the bimlcr-cushion isv clearly shown in the detail dra-wing.

Having described my invention,

What claim, is-

1. The combination of the bed-plate B, its seats b, with cushioned rollers l), when arranged and operated substantially as described and set forth. v

2. The bed-plate B, in combination with the drivingshaft C, resting in adjustable pillar-blocks A1, and connecting-rod attachments B2 bl b2, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

\Vitnesses:

ROBERT ROWDEN, Tiros. J. ELLIS.

A.- C. KAISER. 

